Amalfi Coast's Unique Pasta: Linguine with Anchovies and Walnuts
Discover a simple yet flavorful pasta dish from southern Italy's Amalfi Coast. This quick recipe combines linguine with anchovies and walnuts, creating an unexpected culinary delight.
The Amalfi Coast, a 50-kilometer stretch of southern Italian coastline renowned for its culinary traditions, offers a unique pasta dish that combines simplicity with unexpected flavors. This recipe features linguine, a flat spaghetti-like pasta, paired with anchovies and walnuts, creating a delightful fusion of tastes.
This dish exemplifies the essence of southern Italian cuisine, which often incorporates seafood due to its coastal location. The recipe calls for linguine, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, walnuts, and cured anchovies. Optional ingredients include flat-leaf parsley and grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese.
The preparation is straightforward and quick, taking only 25 minutes from start to finish. Begin by cooking the linguine in salted boiling water. Meanwhile, gently fry garlic, chili flakes, and chopped walnuts in olive oil. Add roughly chopped anchovies, allowing them to melt into the mixture. This combination may seem unusual, but it creates a rich, savory base for the sauce.
Before the pasta is fully cooked, add some of the pasta water to the sauté pan. This technique, common in Italian cooking, helps create a cohesive sauce. Drain the linguine and finish cooking it in the sauté pan, allowing it to become perfectly al dente - firm to the bite. The cooking water reduces, forming a flavorful sauce that coats the pasta.
For serving, consider adding a sprinkle of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and a generous grating of pecorino or Parmesan cheese. A final drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil can enhance the dish's richness.
This recipe showcases the Amalfi Coast's culinary ingenuity, blending local ingredients in unexpected ways. The region, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, is not only famous for its stunning landscapes but also for its gastronomic contributions, including the popular limoncello liqueur.
While enjoying this dish, one can imagine the breathtaking views of the Amalfi Coast, where centuries-old culinary traditions continue to inspire modern kitchens. This linguine with anchovies and walnuts is a testament to the region's ability to create memorable flavors from simple, high-quality ingredients.
